Egoli Squash

Help Me to Read Launch

As Egoli Squash we want every child to be literate. For many of our Colt’s players this is not easy as they encounter significant barriers including poverty, stressful home circumstances, parents who themselves lack basic literacy skills and special educational needs. Therefore, if not addressed early, poor literacy can lead to low-paid, low-skilled employment and become part of a cycle of poverty. Egoli Squash through its Homework Support programme seeks to reverse this condition for its 2 000 squash players aged 8-18 years by launching the Help Me To Read Campaign. This will focus on improving literacy and numeracy levels for development players through providing them with frequent opportunities to read and write.

Vision

Egoli Squash uses sport as a catalyst to positively influence and empower Learners to break away from the cycle of poverty and crime in our communities. By targeting children while they are still at school, we use sport to influence a generation of achievers and leaders. Our vision is to provide opportunities for sporting achievement and academic excellence for as many children as possible. In this way we can empower them to become competent, confident and responsible South African citizens.

Implementation

Donate A Book

Books that are forgotten, unused, or simply already read may be a clutter in many people’s bookcases or closets, but in the right circumstances, they can be a treasure to the disadvantaged Egoli Squash players. Surveys from the department of Education indicate that children who have never had access to good reading material make more rapid progress when they get to read their own books.

Therefore, an appeal to schools, the squash community and clubs will be made to collect the following resources;

Textbooks for Science, Maths and English

Children’s story books to build fluency and to provide enjoyment

Literacy kits for primary schools; alphabet book, counting tables.

Classroom charts such as current maps, chemistry tables

Educational games to stimulate and entertain kids

Reference books for example; encyclopaedias and dictionaries and equipment no longer in use.

Delivery and collection

All donated books will can delivered to CGS Coaches at UJ Doornfont in Campus Squash Centre which is located at Cnr Siemert Road and Beit Street Doornfontein.
Days to deliver books and unwanted equipment is Wednesday, Thursday 10h00-15h00 and Saturday from 9h00-12h00. Or call Sharon on 011 8861740 to arrange collection.

Hear Me Read

Reading aloud helps stimulate the kids’ imagination, improves their listening skills and builds vocabulary which helps them to understand grammar and comprehension.

Egoli Squash will seek volunteers who will read with children to make sure they stay on track and maintain interest and aspirations. People from the business world will be invited to be role models and instill confidence and inspire a love of reading in kids. Volunteers will have to contribute 30 minutes of their time per week on Saturdays to have a one-on-one tuition and assist ten development players over a period of eight weeks.

Partner Schools

Egoli Squash seeks to partner with independent schools to have educational exchange programmes to improve their academic levels. Classrooms separated by border, culture, and geography will be united through similar interests and common principles. Students will participate in collaborative projects ranging from literature and social development to science and technology. By connecting students from diverse backgrounds Egoli Squash will use the academic setting to conquer ignorance, bridge cultural gaps, and create friendships.

Sustainability

Our long term aim is to build academic excellence for development kids so that there is the ability, competence and teams to both manage the Help Me To Read Programme with minimal external input. It is envisaged that kids’ interest in attending Reading Lessons will generate commitment towards the Reading project and this will maintain their attendance in these sessions. Egoli Squash will encourage parental involvement and support their kids to foster the growth of the programme.

Organization Profile

We currently have established five centres in Johannesburg, three centres in Soweto, one in Alexander Township and one in the Southern Suburbs.The program was established in 2009 and continues to grow on a monthly basis with new kids joining the programme on a regular and long term basis.